SWY 96

“Serman and Katun too… do you happen to know what things are like there?”

Sharhan, stirred by the familiar place names, asked urgently. Peter flinched and stepped back, losing his balance and falling onto the rain-soaked, muddy debris. Sharhan offered his hand with an awkward smile as Peter looked about to cry.

“Sorry for startling you. I… brother is from Katun.”

“You’re from Katun?!”

“Yeah. And this old guy here is from Serman.”

At Sharhan’s words, Lestel’s brow twitched. Sharhan glanced sideways at Lestel, who clearly looked displeased, and barely held back his laughter. It was obvious Lestel was thinking, So you’re the brother, and I’m the old guy? But maybe because Peter and Derry were there, he didn’t say anything.

“There are a few kids from Serman where I live now too!”

Though it wasn’t the same territory, hearing that they were from a neighboring land seemed to brighten Peter’s expression. Sharhan, sensing Peter’s guard was lowering, took his hand and helped him up. Then he noticed how filthy Peter’s clothes were and let out a sheepish chuckle.

“Your clothes are a mess.”

“I-it’s fine. They were already dirty anyway.”

Peter waved his hand like it was nothing, but the upset was clear on his face.

“Oh right, there were kids’ clothes in the barn. Go change into those.”

Derry, who had found some children’s clothes while going through the barn the previous day, perked up and pulled Peter along. By the time Sharhan, who had stayed behind to check the area, stepped into the barn, Peter was rummaging through the sack that had held the food instead of changing clothes. There was barely anything left, and Peter looked disappointed, while Derry hovered nervously nearby.

“We already took most of the food. What’s left is either rotten or sprouting too badly to eat…”

Sharhan sighed at Derry, who looked wracked with guilt as if they’d forcibly taken the food from Peter, and then asked,

“Are there a lot of kids where you live?”

Peter, who couldn’t bring himself to ask for food and was instead picking out the least-sprouted potatoes without lifting his head, replied, “Around twenty.”

“Just kids? What about adults?”

“There’s just the lady and the man. The lady used to live in Lahan… and the man’s a traveler. He said he saw her taking care of the orphaned kids alone and decided to stay and help for a bit.”

“She was taking care of twenty kids by herself?”

“Yes. She’s really kind.”

Peter beamed, his face full of trust, respect, and affection. He gathered what little seemed edible and stuffed it into the sack, grabbing every piece of clothing, child’s or adult’s, he could find. He looked longingly at a blanket, clearly wanting to take it, but gave up. Then he finally changed clothes, but as he tried to lift the sack onto his back, he staggered. It was far too heavy for a twelve-year-old who hadn’t eaten properly.

The group watched in silence, then let out collective sighs.

“Give it here.”

Sharhan held out his hand.

“Huh?”

“Grab another sack and put just the clothes in it.”

“Wh-why?”

Peter clung to the sack as if afraid they’d take it.

“That food’s the leftovers we picked through. If you take that back, the kids might get sick.”

“We can cut off the sprouts and roast or steam the rest. Even the rotten bits might still be edible if you trim them right.”

“I’m telling you, they might get sick.”

“It’s okay. It’s better than starving. It’s already been three nights since I left… They’ve probably been without food for over five days. I need to get back and feed them, even if it’s just this. I said I’d be right back… they’re probably waiting for me.”

“Where are the kids?”

“Why do you want to know?”

Peter’s guard went back up instantly.

“You said you need to get back fast. We’ll take you. That’s okay, right?”

The last part wasn’t addressed to Peter but to Lestel and Derry. The two nodded without hesitation. In truth, the one most eager to help was Sharhan himself, so there was no reason to object to his own offer.

‘Iris, just wait a little longer.’

He wanted to turn away and keep going, but his feet refused to move. Honestly, they’d come across plenty of survivors in need along the way. Most of the time, they’d walked on, telling themselves they were too busy. But leaving a mere twelve-year-old behind was too much.

Especially when it wasn’t just kids from Lahan, there were children from Serman and Katun too.

‘If that bastard uncle hadn’t stolen the seal, they would’ve been my people to protect.’

Sharhan took the potato sack from Peter’s hands, pulled out only the clothes, and discarded the rest. While he was doing that, Lestel scooped Peter up.

“Wh-whoa!”

Even as he was startled by being picked up, Peter looked more distressed about the potatoes being tossed aside.

“We’ll give you proper food. Don’t worry about it.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah.”

“But why?”

“If you think about it, that food belonged to you anyway. You’re from this village.”

“No, it doesn’t work like that. These days, it’s finders keepers.”

“Says who? That lady who’s been looking after you?”

“Yes. She always said not to steal or take things that aren’t yours, no matter how badly you want them.”

“That so?”

“Um… are you really going to share?”

Still dangling in the air, Peter asked cautiously. Suspicious and wary, Sharhan didn’t mind. In this world, just because someone approached you with kindness didn’t mean they had good intentions. Being cautious was how you survived.

Peter had said so himself. He hid because someone was taking children.

“We’ll keep a bit for ourselves and give you the rest.”

“Th-thank you.”

“So now tell us, where are we headed?”

“Salpian. Do you know it?”

Of course. He’d been there as a child. Located on the outskirts of Lahan’s territory, it was a few hours by foot, longer at a child’s pace. Especially dangerous now, with corpses wandering everywhere. For a kid to get here without weapons… he was lucky to be alive.

“I know it. But how did you get here on your own? It must’ve been dangerous.”

“I filled my pockets with rocks. When I saw corpses, I’d climb trees and throw rocks far away to lure them off, then climb down and run. At night I stayed in the trees without sleeping, and moved again at sunrise.”

“You didn’t think about coming with someone?”

“They’re all younger than me. It’s too dangerous. I’m the oldest, so I came to get food for everyone. Can you put me down now?”

Lestel lowered Peter and patted his head. Peter looked awkward but secretly pleased, and after slinging the sack of clothes over his shoulder, he led the way out of the barn.

“……?”

A step behind, Sharhan saw Peter standing frozen outside, staring at the horses, Thunder and Lightning reflecting in his frightened eyes. The horses were clearly intimidating to him. When Lightning neighed and reared, Peter flinched, and Sharhan quickly lifted him onto the saddle.

Peter gasped and grabbed the mane in panic.

“Hold on tight.”

As Sharhan quietly urged the horse forward, afraid Peter might fall, they passed through a vast cornfield, with stalks withered and rotting from neglect. Sharhan’s expression twisted with unease.

“The harvest season came before the corpses spread. Why didn’t they gather it?”

“Probably because of Lahan’s harsh tax laws. I heard Baron Hines was taxing most of the harvest, so the people abandoned the fields and fled at night.”

“Baron Hines ruled Lahan, right?”

“Yeah.”

“His daughter was Ardal, wasn’t she?”

“Huh?”

“That little girl who used to follow you around saying she’d marry you. Her name was Ardal, right?”

“Not Ardalle, Ardelle. Ardelle Hines. And she was our age. Why call her little?”

“She was short. Anyway, you remember her name pretty well.”

“Well…”

Then, suddenly, something darted in front of the lightning. The startled horse neighed loudly and reared up. At the same time, Sharhan’s body lurched backward, thrown from the saddle.